– Center your event around your family and friends. Your tabletop should have dignified flair, but be informal enough to make your guests feel welcome and relaxed – after all, you’re hosting this party for them!

– Keep it simple, natural, and earthy. Remember we are celebrating the harvest – let that be your guide.

– Avoid permanent high center pieces that make it difficult to see across the table. Your guests are here to interact, so make sure they can see the person they are talking to across the table. If you want to use tall centerpieces, make sure they are easily moveable to make room at the table.

– Time to get fancy! Get out your nice china, silver and crystal and make it sparkle!

– With so many variations on winter holidays and traditions, you have no shortage of color scheme options: from the traditional Christmas colors of red, green and gold, to a more modern metallic, silver and white, to a more colorful palette of jewel tones – each can be tailored to your personal style. For a more traditional holiday, remember to save your pops of bold colors for focal points, like a red sash on a white chair.

– Please, please, PLEASE use real flowers!! Your holiday celebration only comes once a year, and those fresh flowers are well worth it! Bonus – they can also double as party favors for your guests!

Christmas/Winter Holiday/New Year’s Don’ts:

Clocks make an excellent table accessory for New Year’s Eve celebrations

– Stay away from the cheap decorations! That fake snow covered evergreen garland might be enticing at only $3 a string, but it looks like a $3 string of garland! Save yourself a trip to a crowded store and utilize what you have at your fingertips – go out to the garden and pick fresh flowers and greenery. Bonus – you’ve cleaned up your yard and you’ve personalized your décor.

– Save yourself a major headache and remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Short and Simple! You don’t want to spend your entire evening prepping in the kitchen, so plan a simple menu and enjoy your party with your guests.

– “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.” As you create your own holiday tabletop, don’t lose your traditional elements, as they add more depth and character to your palette. Keep a balance between modern and traditional – an eclectic table top is a beautiful table top.

A “Southern Comfort” tabletop I designed for an event at the C&D showroom